Turkey (and particularly Istanbul) is a great place to live and to teach English as a second language.

Jobs abound and there is growing demand as the economy continues to boom.

Teaching English in Turkey Without a Degree

Although it is considered to be fairly easy to get a teaching position in Turkey, the ESL job market is not as open as places like Thailand perhaps where simply being a native speaker is enough to get you hired. It is much more important to have a decent teaching qualification and some experience if you want to work in the ESL industry in Turkey. The government has tightened up the requirements for a work permit and most schools are now unwilling to take the risk of having employees without the proper legal status.

However, this being Turkey there is a way around most things! If the school likes you and wants you for whatever reason (desperation, looks, other talents), they will find a way to take you on. It is more likely to be a language centre, single branch school or newly established school that is open to bending the rules with you.

What other characteristics do they look for?

Professional appearance is highly rated here, so if you look good and speak well it will go a long way. In addition you should genuinely show an interest in working hard and a passion for teaching. Ask intelligent sounding questions like “What do Turkish learners find most difficult to grasp in English grammar?” and “What are the classic pronunciation mistakes?” and you will improve your chances immediately.

Warm greetings and manners are always important but that is especially true in Turkey. Be as friendly and professional as possible. Also showing an interest in Turkish culture and language will be very much appreciated.

If you can show that you have gained valuable experience in, say, marketing or website design that may be of some interest to their business English students, or even to them as a company, this may help you overcome the issue of a lack of teaching certification.

The Best Place to Find Teaching Job Vacancies

Most teachers find that the only way to find a job teaching English in Turkey is by word of mouth, going door to door asking for vacancies or by visiting each school/companies website and emailing them one by one.

If you want to save time, our service is guaranteed to get your resumé into the hands of decision makers at the right time, and drastically increase your chances of getting hired.

It’s impossible to over emphasize just how important the standard of your resumé is.

Write it, re-write it, and write it again! Spend as much time as it takes to get it perfect. Nobody will call you if they don’t like what they see on your resumé.

Subscribers to our mailing list will receive a set of CV templates to help make sure yours is set out how schools like them.

The templates have been designed following the advice of genuine recruitment managers with the aim of giving them exactly what they want to see.

Requirements for different types of ESL teaching jobs

If you are a native speaker with a TEFL certificate and any experience, you are at a significant advantage.

The Turkish authorities recognize the TEFL as sufficient grounds for a work permit, (provided you have a University degree of any kind) and schools expect this as a minimum requirement. Although the CELTA is preferred by employers, you can still get a work permit with a quick online TEFL like this one.

We encourage everyone to get in touch and let us guide you to the most suitable jobs for your qualifications, personality, goals and timescales. To get you started we have provided an overview of the typical requirements to work with the top three employers below.

Language Schools

There are literally hundreds of ESL language schools all over Turkey, and they have the highest level of demand for teachers. For this reason, language schools are the easiest places to find work. However, there are a number of unscrupulous employers and a wide variety of pay and conditions. Non-native speakers will have the best chance of getting a job here.

Don’t waste your time and money finding out the hard way, get in touch with us now.

If you have some experience and are happy to teach kids, you will find better pay and longer holidays at one of the many private primary schools, middle schools or high schools.

We can offer invaluable first hand advice about what to expect and how to handle the challenges to make your life easier. We work with the best of the best in this category and we can fast track your application with our special contacts.

You will need at least a CELTA and a couple of years experience teaching English to children.

Universities require higher levels of qualifications and ideally some experience in teaching at university level. Unless you have a PhD or Masters degree in the specific subject you intend to teach then most English teaching work at the university level will be in the form of prep courses. This is a one year intensive program taken by students before they embark on a course which is delivered in English to make sure they are up to speed.